Love in the New Testament

Notes for a talk by Gene Hillman

at Germantown Friends Meeting April 27, 2003

(These notes are provided for those who were present, to help them remember the major points made and texts cited. It may be helpful to any who would like an idea of my approach to the subject with a view toward inviting me to speak.)

Purpose is to follow this theme through three traditions of the New Testament.

In what follows I am going to refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Paul as the authors of the gospels and letters that bare their names. I realize this is, in places, disputed, but it is a convinence.

Love in Greek:

Eros - for Greeks the highest form, desire to possess perfection

Philio - love of another, to be fond of, emotional

Agape - act of will, “to will and do good"

Storge - parental love

What was Jesus all about? Mark 1:14

What is the kingdom of God (God’s reign)? He compares it to a party (see prodigal son in Luke 15, eating with sinners in Mark 2:16 (and parallels in Matthew 9:11 and Luke 5:30), Matthew 22 and 25, and Luke 14).

Of what are we to repent, and what is the good news we are to believe? I suggest these are two sides of the same coin and that coin is agape.

love as commandment in the synoptic gospels.

In the synoptic gospels Jesus is asked by a scribe (Mark 12:28) or lawyer (Matthew and Luke) what is the great commandment. He answers love of God and neighbor and quotes the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and Leviticus 19:18. Leviticus goes on to include among those you must love the “alien who resides with you.” (v.34). In Luke the lawyer pushes the matter to ask who is my neighbor? (Luke 10:27-37) and Jesus includes the Samaritan (a despised impure community - explain) as the neighbor.

Love is the essence of the law (Matthew 5:17). The 613 regulations (comment) are commentary. This was the central message of the prophets (Micah condemns in 2:1-2 and gives the remedy in 6:6-8).

Comment on Paul (who he was, his importance), conflict with James resolved (Acts 15:19-21 or Galatians 2:10) justification by faith and not by the works of the law (Torah). Yet he and James agree love is the fulfillment of the law: Galatians 5:14 sees the law summed up in “you shall love your neighbor as yourself; and James 2:8 the same). Again, loving one another fulfills the law (Romans 13:8-10).

Jesus takes it still further. We are to even love our enemies. Matthew 5:43-48 and Luke 6:27-31. Verse 31 is the golden rule and echos Leviticus 19:18. Romans 12:14-21 on love of one’s enemies (doesn’t use agape but describes it - use Wink’s Jesus’ Third Way to illustrate pouring hot coals).

So what is this love and what is it of which we are to repent? Agape is “to will and do good for another.” We put the other’s needs, if not above our own, then at least on a par with our own. The good news is that of God’s reign being near (among us), and God’s reign is God’s love of us which assumes love of one another (the two great commandments are linked).

In John 12:25 we are told that to love (philio, not agape) our life is to loose it. What is this life we are to reject in order to have eternal (unbounded) life.? I suggest it is the self-centered ego, the me first attitude that is contradicted by Leviticus 19:18 and by the golden rule.

I think what Jesus is saying here is the same eternal truth told by Sidhartha (The Buddha) when he taught that self is illusion, using the language of maya understandable in 5th century B.C. India. Jesus used language understandable (to those with ears to hear) in first century Judea.

Love as gift of the spirit in Paul

But Paul extends the workings of love. Paul’s unique contribution is on love as a gift of the spirit: Galatians 5:22 lists love as first among the gifts of the spirit. Paul connects God’s love for us with our love of one another in Romans 5:5. I Corinthians 13 is Paul’s hymn to love concluding by saying love is the greatest gift of the spirit.

Love as relationship in John

Why John is the Quaker gospel. Prominence of women, e.g. Samaritan woman (female “apostle” as in “one sent”, gentile), no sacraments, theme of light and truth, Brinton’s Quaker verse 1:9, mystical elements, no identified apostles.

John 13:34-35 tells us Jesus gave us (by extension) a new commandment. Chapter 14 continues the theme of love. In John 15:12-17 he repeats the commandment and leads into verse “I call you friends.” As Friends we are called to obey His will (first we must listen to hear what that is, then be faithful).

In John 21:15-19, a chapter appended to bring the gospel into line with other churches by rehabilitating Peter (among other things), Jesus three time asks Peter “Do you love me?” The first two times he uses agape and Peter answers in the affirmative but using philio. The third time Jesus asks using philio and Peter again affirms. This is seen as a response to Peter’s thrice denial of Jesus by some, but why the play with agape and philio? (like when the girl tells a guy “let’s just be friends - nice but not the same thing). Maybe Peter just didn’t get it and Jesus gave up and met him on his own terms.

Background of Johnnine epistles as bridge between John and synoptic thought.

I John 4:7-21 is as much a hymn to love as Paul’s. Verse 8 is where we find ”God is love." We are children of God if we love (“everyone who loves is born of God” in v.7).